Conference pick of Macronix chip reports boost stock

By Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Macronix International Co (旺宏電子) saw its shares soar by almost 7 percent after the memorychip maker was selected to report its latest findings in making new memory chips at the prestigious International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM).

One of the five reports is set to be about a new technology developed by Macronix to make flash memory chips that have a lifetime 100,000 times longer than usual, the Hsinchu-based chipmaker said in a statement.

Marconix, which supplies memory chips to video game console maker Nintendo Co, said it hoped to ramp up production of the so-called “self-healing” flash memory, aiming to make the technology another revenue source by licensing it and charging for its use.

Shares of Macronix jumped 6.92 percent to NT$8.96 yesterday.

Flash memory lifetimes are limited by use because repeated save and erase cycles degrade the funnel oxide that insulates flash memory cells. However, Macronix researchers have built flash memories that can heal themselves by means of tiny onboard heaters that provide thermal annealing to the spots where it is needed.

The devices have demonstrated record-setting endurance by withstanding more than 100 million save-erase cycles without losing data, compared with existing flash memory chips’ 1,000-cycle limit.

Macronix is scheduled to present five reports during the IEDM, which is to be held from Dec. 10 to Dec. 12 in San Francisco, California. It has presented 45 reports at these meetings over the past 12 years.

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